Kindness and Gratitude Room
About This Technique
Keeping a gratitude journal and practicing random acts of kindness are activities that are consistently recommended for general well-being as well as to treat mild depression.
Practicing gratitude and kindness is easy for most clients. When clients have difficulties doing these activities, there may be an indication of more serious problems.
About This Room
This Room contains a Journal for clients to write down things they are grateful for and also their “random acts of kindness.” This Room also has a YouTube video of short but inspiring acts of kindness. It runs 35 minutes, but you may want to have clients just watch 5 minutes at a time. The Room also includes a PDF “Acts of Kindness Lead to Happiness,” which can be downloaded and printed.
Using the Elements in Other Rooms
While you may want to use this Room as-is, you may also want to add the content to other treatment Rooms. The content can be found below. Follow the directions to add it to any VCR Room.
ACTS OF KINDNESS LEAD TO HAPPINESS
This worksheet can be used to help people who have mild to moderate depression, or for people who are not clinically depressed but who are seeking a happier and more fulfilling life. Download the PDF here.
BETWEEN SESSIONS JOURNAL
Download the PDF then use the PDF Uploader to add it to a room.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS CARD DECK
When you click the ‘Card Deck’ Element, you can add a deck to any room. Click ‘Switch Deck’ to choose this card deck. Note that you can add cards or edit selected cards when you select the ‘Edit’ button.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS YOUTUBE VIDEO
To add this video to a Room, use the ‘Upload Youtube Video’ Element and copy and paste this link: https://youtu.be/-kfUE41-JFw.
Click here to find additional content for the Virtual Counseling Rooms.
Resources
Websites
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a nonprofit that invests its resources into making kindness the norm. Rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught, they follow a simple framework.
Inspire – Empower – Act – Reflect – Share
Evidence-based Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum gives students the social and emotional skills needed to live more successful lives. The workplace kindness calendar shows companies how easy it is to change workplace culture through simple kind gestures. The organization creates a common language between schools, work, and home with all of our resources.
Training
Presented by PESI Healthcare, “The Wow Factor: The New Ways Clinicians Can Use Awe and Gratitude in Therapy,” demonstrates how people can regain balance and find greater peace through the cultivation of awe, wonder, and gratitude. There is special pricing for members of Between Sessions Resources. The training includes up to 6 CE credits included in the price. Click here to learn more.
Articles
The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness – New research shows small gestures matter even more than we may think.
How Small Acts of Kindness Can Make You Happier and Healthier
Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier